


Killing Ghosts

by DelphiaDallhaus



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club, Hidden Block (Video Blogging RPF), NormalBoots
Genre: Angst, Confessions, Cross-Posted on Quotev, Hope it's not too OOC, I cried while writing this, M/M, Not Caddimoose centric, PAUL WORST END SPOILERS, but it's imPORTANT, first time writing in the asagao fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-03 21:19:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14577900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DelphiaDallhaus/pseuds/DelphiaDallhaus
Summary: HARDCORE SPOILERS FOR PAUL'S WORST END.When he's expelled from Asagao Academy, Caddy decided he's going to make peace with his fate before he leaves the country and his life behind.





	Killing Ghosts

Seven days before the flight.

Paul exited the auditorium stage, as confident as ever. (No one saw, however, him slump over as he walked backstage, or him napping from exhaustion. At least, no one important.)

In a rehearsed fashion, Jeff took the stage as the audience quieted, and cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen-”

His world, and a banner, came crashing down with a single sentence. **“HIDDEN BLOCK SMUGGLES GUNS.”**

 

* * *

 

Caddy tore down posters from the blue walls, rips forming on the corners of rock band promos. Jeff watched him work as he sat on his bed, checking his phone.

Ever since the speech, Headpage, Tweeter and ClickTalk became a mess among the students. Even though only nerds attended the speeches, the news spread around the school like mad through gossip. Hushed whispers followed the Hidden Block Club as they walked through the school.

When James Caddick was called into the office that morning in homeroom, students buzzed about as he did the Walk of Shame. _“Did you hear about this morning? He must have been the smuggler.” “I bet he’s killed someone with those guns. Maybe the Hidden Block Club is a secret gang.” “Just imagine what the others are doing. Ian gives me the creeps…”_

He had two hours to brace himself for the inevitable punishment, but still, it stung with all the force of getting run over by a freight train. Expelled.

He spent the rest of class in his room, crying his eyes out, but the grim look on Jeff’s face when he came back told him everything.

Neither of them talked, the silence only broken by a growl from Caddy as he took down yet another poster.

A flyer for the tournament. He gingerly held it in his hand as he read the print.

Jeff grimaced. “We’re not going.”

“Really?” Caddy crumpled the flyer into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. It bounced off the side. “I mean, you can just find another player. I’m not that big of a deal-”

“It’s all Hidden Block or nothing. Besides, no one’s in the shape to play. We decided it during lunch.

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You wouldn’t have known.”

He resisted the urge to say, _You wouldn’t have either,_ but for once, kept his mouth shut.

Jeff let out an exasperated sigh as he laid down on his bed, defeated. “It’s all over the students’ social media. I think some people in Higanbana are talking about it, too.”

“Damn. I knew gossip spread fast, but not this fast. Class just ended an hour ago.”

“Yeah.”

Caddy pulled down the last paper off the wall. A photo of Hidden Block’s smiling faces last year at the tournament.

It wasn’t a bad one. It was the perfect embodiment of the club he called his family. Luke held up the camera selfie-style, a grin on his face from laughter. Wallid pulled Jimmy and Jeff into a hug as Jimmy stuck a tongue out at the camera and Jeff made a silly face. In the corner, Caddy pointed a finger gun at Ian in mock anger as a small smile escaped the latter.

A finger gun. Of course.

He set the photo face-down on a nearby table. It only rubbed salt into the wound.

What he wouldn’t give to go back to those days…

“Jeff?” His roommate lifted his head upon hearing his name. “You’re really not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just ruining your campaign, disqualifying us from the tournament, destroying our reputation and getting myself expelled from the school-”

“That was Hana’s doing,” Jeff interrupted as he walked up to Caddy. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I was careless. I had my guns.”

“But you didn’t know anyone was there, did you?”

The expelled student fumbled for an argument, but fell short.

Jeff continued. “It’s in the past, so we can’t really do anything about it. We can only really move forward from it. And I’m already losing my friend. Don’t tell me I have to be mad at him, too.”

Caddy sniffed. “It means a lot.”

“Come here.” The upperclassman wrapped him in a tight hug as he started to cry. “I’m gonna miss you a lot, you know. The club won’t be the same.”

“If there is a club, you mean.”

“I’d rather not think about that. Let’s just hang out until you leave, okay? Live in the moment.”

“I guess I will.”

 

* * *

 

Five days before the flight.

Ever since the day after the election, Caddy spent more of his time thinking than doing, something incredibly rare.

Jeff’s words struck a chord with him.

Nothing was going to change the school’s mind. He was expelled, he was a gun smuggler, he was going home. He was going to leave his life in the Hidden Block Club behind.

It was a strange feeling. He had spent so much time with the club, that it was practically his identity. The club became his family when he left his behind in England, and their friendship was fire-forged through gaming.

A part of him wanted to say that his days in the club were long gone. There was no point in spending his time with them anymore, and all it wanted to do was just sleep away until his flight back home.

But Jeff’s words kept hanging and haunting like a ghost. _“It’s in the past, so we can’t really do anything about it. We can only really move forward from it.”_

 _There really wasn’t a point in dwelling on it,_ he mused. _“Let’s just hang out until you leave, okay? Live in the moment.”_

The more he contemplated it, the clearer it became. He grabbed his phone, and sent a text.

 

 **_[12:51 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _I’m coming to the recording booth_

 **_[12:58 PM] Yungtown:_ ** _?_

 

Luke was an easy person to talk to about anything. From romance problems to the latest leak on the upcoming Nokemon game, a conversation with the third-year was bound to be fruitful.

He was exactly where he expected him to be; in the recording booth. Weeks ago, before the disaster, he mentioned remastering some older songs to send to colleges, in hope of earning a music scholarship.

Caddy came in at just as the bright red ‘recording’ light above the booth went out, and Luke stepped to his laptop to listen to his latest take. He perked up as Caddy opened the door and greeted him with a small wave before going back to his laptop and clicking on a few buttons. As Caddy stood next to him, he gave his headphones to him and pressed ‘play.’ “Listen to this.”

Luke’s latest remaster was a spacey beat sampled from sounds Caddy recognized were from the Dankey Kang City as well as his own melodies and drum machine. Over it was Luke’s rapping, but rather than his signature high-energy vocals, they were somber, describing the hardships of writing songs as well as the power to overcome it in the chorus. When the song ended, Caddy handed back the headphones, a little surprised. “It’s really different than your usual stuff. The original, too. It’s good.”

“Thanks. I got… inspired to make it slower and more emotional.” The upperclassman shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. Caddy noticed his steel blue eyes avoid his gaze, and decided not to ask. “Anyways, what’s up?”

Caddy shrugged back. “Just wanted to talk. I mean, I should hang out with my friends before they’re gone.”

Luke chuckled halfheartedly. “It sounds like you’re about to die when you put it that way.”

“I may as well be.” Caddy pulled up a chair and looked at the laptop, interested. “What else did you record?”

“Mostly some remasters of my old stuff. You just heard the new version of ‘Stickerbrush Sympathy,’ and I have a few nicer versions of ‘Hey Dad’ and the ‘Epic Rap’…”

The two students lost themselves in Luke’s songs, debating which tracks should make it into his “Best of Yungtown” mixtape.

In the middle of ‘Take My Star,’ Caddy let out a sigh. “This song really makes you think about romance, doesn’t it? Kind of reminds you of...”

The name fell silent, but both of them knew exactly what he meant.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Luke said, and scratched his head. “When I first met her, I thought she was actually kind of nice. Cute, even. The kind of person you could imagine yourself with.” He sighed. “Things really don’t end up how you’d expect they would, do they?”

“I feel that. I’m leaving behind my own crush,” Caddy blurted.

Much to his surprise, however, Luke paused the song and turned to him, a devilish, teasing smirk on his face. “Oh, really? Who is she? Is she cute? Are you going out with her?”

Caddy recoiled. “Uh… he’s not really a girl, so to speak…”

The rapper lit up with all the energy of a string of Christmas lights. “Do I know him?”

“I- uh- yeah.”

“Is he in the Normal Boots Club?”

“Nope.”

“What about Hidden Block?”

“You’re getting closer...”

“Is it Jeff? Or Wallid? Or Ian, or Jimmy?” His voice lowered to a whisper. “Is it me?”

“No!” Caddy buried his cherry-red face in his hands. “I’m going to regret this so much. It’s Moosey. _Ian_.”

Luke’s eyes twinkled as he gushed. “Caddy, that’s great. I’m so proud!”

“It doesn’t matter, anyways.”

His face fell. “Aw, why not? You two would be so cute together!”

“I know that. But it doesn’t matter! I’m out of this country in a week. What’s the point?”

Caddy reached to resume ‘Take My Star,’ but Luke grabbed his wrist before he could press ‘play.’ “I think you should go for it,” he said quietly.

“Yeah, why’s that? ‘Cause, we should so _totally_ have a one-day relationship, and just as things are getting good, we break up because I’m on the other side of the world.”

“Because sometimes it’s good to be honest about these kinds of things,” Luke said matter-of-factly. “Maybe one day you’ll meet again, and you can pick up right where you left off.”

“Things aren’t as romantic as you make them seem, Luke,” Caddy said. “I’ll probably never see you guys in person ever again.”

“We can always plan to meet, though. We’re rich kids, we can go out of the country for summer vacation,” Luke started. “And we can have a Hidden Block Club reunion along with the usual class reunions! And-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Caddy interrupted with a wave of his hand, defeated. “I’m leaving, and no amount of love or whatever is going to fix that. I don’t even know if it even is love, or just a stupid high school crush.” He shook his head. “Whatever. It’s stupid, anyways. Now, what was the next song you had in mind?”

Luke gave him a suspicious look, but pressed ‘next.’ “I’m not quite sure about this one. I mean, it sounds cool and all, but the words are kind of simple, and since I’m a rapper, they’re gonna be a lot more strict on grading my lyrics…”

 

* * *

 

Four days before the flight.

 

 **_[1:42 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _You, you + me_

 **_[1:42 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Ice cream_

 **_[1:42 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _After school_

 **_[1:42 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Sound good?_

 **_[1:42 PM] xXxjimmywhetzelxXx_ ** _: ice cream always sounds good_

 **_[1:42 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Pay attention to class!!!_

 **_[1:43 PM] balrog_the_master:_ ** _this is why you’re failing algebra jom >-> _

**_[1:43 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _You too!!!_

 

Ice cream was a bittersweet decision. It was a last supper of sorts, Caddy figured. The on-campus creamery just had the same ice cream he could get at the grocery store, but it was the setting that mattered, not the brand.

Wallid raised an eyebrow as Caddy ordered. “Matcha? I didn’t know you liked that.”

Caddy didn’t, either. was usually a triple-chocolate kind of guy, but this time, he ordered a cone of green tea ice cream. It was a fitting thing, he figured. Creamy and light, with a tart aftertaste following the sweet, sugary flavor. Funny, too; it looked like he was licking a frozen dollop of wasabi.

Jimmy paid the second-year cashier (“My treat,” he insisted as they walked to the store). Caddy recognized the cashier as a girl in his class, the one who started the rumor that his club was secretly a gang. He looked away as she returned Jimmy’s credit card and gave them a curt goodbye before serving the next group of students.

“Good thing, though.” he continued as they took the last empty three-person table in the corner of the store. “You always get chocolate.”

“So do you! What’s the big deal?”

“It’s just more fun when everyone gets different flavors. And it makes this more fun!” He quickly took a small amount of Caddy’s ice cream on his spoon and ate it before Caddy could react.

He glared at him, but Wallid just smirked.

Luckily, Jimmy approached the table before the expelled student could choke the other, his cone of neapolitan ice cream already half-eaten. “Play nice, you two. The last thing I need to do is hide a body.”

“It’s not my fault! He ate my ice cream!”

“Worth. It was so worth.”

“Ugh!” Caddy threw his free hand in the air and glared daggers at the first-year. “I’m actually going to kill you for that.”

Caddy simmered in anger, then realized something. The noisy chatter of the creamery dulled down to a nervous buzz. In fact, they held the attention of everyone in the room, as the rumor-mongering popular girls whispered to their friends and the phone addicts started texting, relaying every word to the rest of the school. The three gamers cringed.

“We should probably go,” Jimmy awkwardly proposed, rising from his seat just as he sat. “We can hang in our room.”

A cackling laugh resounded through the creamery just as they left, each chuckle stabbing Caddy in the gut as the creamery returned to its noisy state and even more hearsay raised its ugly head. Caddy tossed the remains of his ice cream as he left. He wasn't so hungry anymore.

The trio walked back to the dorms frowning and kicking rocks as they walked. As they trudged through the halls of Bluebell House, parting the clusters of boys like Moses- that is, if Moses was a full-time cultist in a small Catholic town. With every step, another passing student stopped talking and watched their every move.

Wallid and Jimmy walked in front of Caddy, his own personal bodyguards. The boys still looked at them like they were mutants, but he appreciated their efforts.

Especially when they passed the Continue boys, eyes averted and lips bit. From where his friend stood, no one could see the hurt on his face, and for that he was truly grateful. Seeing the look of pain on student body president Paul Ritchey’s face was enough punishment for a year.

Finally, they made it to Wallid and Jimmy’s dorm after what felt like the world’s longest hallway. The sound of Wallid’s key clicking the lock open was a sound of salvation- too soon.

Jimmy was the last to pour into the room, and he quietly closed the door.

 _“Uggggggggh!_ ” He flopped on the bottom bunk. Surely, his groan was loud enough for the entire floor to hear, but it was clearly the least of his worries. “That was so _stupid_!”

“You’re telling me.” Wallid tossed his empty cup and joined him, not as noisy as his roommate’s, but certainly with the same amount of exasperation. Caddy followed his move, and took the other side of Jimmy.

“Man, we’re really screwing it all up these days, aren’t we?”

“Don’t say that!” Wallid threw a Turbie plush at Caddy’s head. It missed completely. “That’s gonna make me feel all sad and mad. Smad, if you will.”

Caddy just groaned. “Look at us, too. I feel like a kid at his first big-boy sleepover.”

“That’s… actually, a great idea.” Jimmy said, a grin slowly spreading across his face. “Would you rather? Drink only pickle juice, or straight olive oil?”

“Jimmy! That’s so gross!” Caddy scolded. “Olive oil without a doubt!”

“But Caddy, if you drink pickle juice, you’ll die faster from all the sodium.”

“Actually, what brand of pickle does the juice come from?”

“Doesn’t matter, you made your choice. Caddy, Jimmy, would you rather? Have all your shirts be two sizes too big, or one size too small?”

“Too big. They’d always be so comfy!”

“I have to go with one size too small. Gotta show off this bod somehow.” Caddy flexed. Wallid nodded his head in approval.

“Yeah, but I’m a stick.”

“Okay, it’s my turn. Would you rather have a pet dragon, or _be the dragon_?”

The two underclassmen laid still, mulling the question over. Caddy smirked in victory, just as Wallid piped up. “I wanna be a dragon. If I had a pet dragon, he’d destroy all the wrong towns. But if I was one, I could only obliterate the crappy ones!”

“But! Pet dragon!” Jimmy gushed. “It’d be like having a fire puppy! But with scales and anger management issues!”

“I only just said the question, but you sound like you actually planned it out.”

“I’d name her Waffles, and I would teach her how to fetch, and how to start forest fires, and do tricks, and I’d love her forever and ever!”

“Dude. What if I was your pet dragon?”

Jimmy’s happy face turned into a disgusted one. “How dare you destroy my dreams this way.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Whatever.” Jimmy sat up straight. “But you know what would be even funner?”

“If you said ‘more fun’ instead of ‘funner?’”

“Shut up, Caddy. Do you want to play some SSS and Would You Rather at the same time or not?”

Wallid poked him, a solemn look on his face. “Please don’t ruin this opportunity.”

In the end, Caddy didn’t blow it, but still got destroyed by his friends, his poor Beta Boy not powerful enough to seriously hurt Wallid’s Hario or fast enough to even touch Jimmy’s Princess Pea.

Soon, the game of Would You Rather turned into daring everyone to use the strangest characters, the highlight of it all when all three played Small Fry on a cramped stage, where they ended up falling to more self-deaths than they did actually fighting each other. It was completely forgotten, however, when Wallid challenged his friends to a serious match- no items,  Last Resort, Faux only, three stocks.

Jimmy quickly lost all his lives, and watched in intrigue as Caddy and Wallid duked it out. Combo against shield, special against grab, they countered the other’s attack like their lives counted upon it. Their damage grew and grew during their last stock, every hit threatening to end the game, until a vicious pummel sent Caddy’s Faux into the stratosphere and off the screen.

Caddy set down his controller, a sense of contentment brewing despite his failure. “Man. You’re too good at this game.”

Jimmy laughed in response. “Just be glad Luke isn’t here,” he said. “He and his Garth would’ve kicked all of our our asses in less than a minute.”

The three boys shuddered. Indeed, Luke was a monster at the game, and the few times members of the club challenged him to a match, they would lose just as the match started, victim to Luke’s masterful techniques and skilled combos.

“I still don’t know what dash dancing is,” Wallid lamented.

“None of us do,” Caddy said. Perhaps it was just meant to be that way.

* * *

 

Three days before the flight.

It was Jeff’s room now, devoid of most everything Caddy could have left behind. Suitcases sat in a slump by the door, waiting for the final day, trinkets hidden under suede. His furniture and his closet had already been shipped out back home, save for a few remaining outfits and a single blanket.

Time had passed since the day he was expelled, and he slowly got used to the otherwise-barren walls. The room was only half-cluttered, sparse with only soccer trophies and no band posters, and neither of the boys wanted to acknowledge it.

Neither of them expected a knock on the door, either. As Caddy packed papers into an overstuffed duffel bag, Jeff stood up from the desk and his homework, miffed.

He opened the door, with a tired frown. “Yeah, who is-”

His jaw dropped, and Caddy wondered why, until he saw a tuft of pink hair.

Jeff slammed the door closed and leaned against it like she was a zombie ready to eat his brain. “It’s Hana,” he mouthed, his eyes wide.

Sure enough, she groaned on the other side of the other side. “Jeff! Wait! Is Caddy there?”

“What does she want from me?!” Caddy hissed, and held the duffel closer to his chest. “Is she going to blackmail me? I shouldn’t have known, I shouldn’t have trusted her!”

“I don’t know, dude! I panicked! I just shut the door on her!”

“I can hear you two, you know!”

They both yelped. “Jeff, what do I do?”

“Don’t ask me! I did nothing!”

“Please!” Hana cried. “I need to talk to you!”

Caddy cried back, “W-what about?”

“I wanted to apologize.”

His heart stopped in his throat, and from the looks of it, Jeff was just as stunned.

“Apologize” was the magic word. Jeff opened the door just an inch and peered out like a hermit (which wasn’t too far off the mark nowadays). She stared at him with hopeful eyes, but she otherwise looked like a mess. Her hair was tangled, and her uniform wrinkled. Her skin was even paler than ever, contrasting the heavy dark bags under her dull blue eyes.

Jeff looked back at Caddy, who had slowly approached the door as well. He took the doorknob from Jeff, and nodded to him, like he had a plan.

He did not have a plan.

Hana’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then it quickly was replaced by a guilty face. “Caddy?”

He stared back at the girl who ruined his life. “What do you want?”

She flinched at the poison laced in his voice, but continued on. “Is it alright if we talk somewhere alone?”

Jeff grabbed Caddy’s arm. “I don’t like this,” he gulped.

Caddy looked down at his hands, as if it would stop time.

Then he turned back to his roommate, “I think I got this,” he mumbled.

Jeff shot him a worried look. “Be careful.” He closed the door.

No return.

 

* * *

 

Hana held Caddy’s arm as she led him out of Bluebell House and to the edge of campus. It took everything Caddy had not to run away from her trembling grip.

Even then, he had friends. He had people at this school who, somehow, still bothered to talk to him, even after becoming the butt end of the biggest school scandal in years.

It terrified him to imagine just what kind of damage she could do to them.

She stopped running as they approached the soccer field and walked under the bleachers as shadows danced across the concrete underneath, taunting him as he rubbed his wrist. Despite her frail nature, her grip _hurt._

“What’s going on?” He finally asked. “Why do you even care?”

“I do! I just…” She trailed off. “I guess I didn’t know I did before. The speeches, I mean.”

“You’re not making any sense. What does that even _mean_?”

“It means that I was being stupid,” Hana blurted. “About the banner, and about you, and about the election. I thought Paul just wanted to win. And I didn’t even care about what it took.” She looked down at the taunting shadows. “I was so drunk off of being his campaign manager, and our idea to play dirty when Jeff put up those posters-”

“Hold on.” Caddy held up a hand. “I’ve already heard that story millions of times this week from someone new every time. I don’t need a recap. What I do need is what you actually think.”

She breathed in, as if to gather herself. “I realized I was being unfair to you, and Jeff, and Paul, and everyone in these dumb clubs. I was so greedy about impressing Paul and Normal Boots that I didn’t care who I stepped on to get there. And that’s why I wanted to apologize.”

She let out a breath, and looked into Caddy’s eyes with her own, puffy and red from crying. For a split second, Caddy felt a pang of pity. “I’m sorry for being so despicable to all of you. And you deserve to hear that the most,” she said softly.

“Did Paul tell you that?”

She blinked in surprise as she slowly mulled over his question. “Well,” she started nervously. “When he told me off at the election, it was really what got me to realize that I-”

“I’m done here.”

It was almost like she expected to be forgiven by piggybacking off of his friend’s ideals. He regretted showing her sympathy.

He stalked back to the boys’ dorms, fists clenched. If Hana said anything as he left, he didn’t hear it in his silent rage.

 

* * *

 

Caddy slammed open the door, snapping Jeff out of his focus. In the two years they were roommates, he was no stranger to Caddy’s sudden bursts of anger.

But judging by the way he walked with heavy stomps and rigid shoulders that carried the weight of the world, today’s wrath was in a whole other ballpark.

He snatched his phone and his wallet, and shoved them into his pocket. “I’m going to the ramen place,” he grumbled. He could hear the restrained emotion in his voice, hidden under intimidation.

He stormed out as quickly as he came. Jeff pulled out his phone. Pre-calculus could wait.

 

 **_[6:39 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _what happened?????????????_

No answer.

Jeff sighed and stared at the screen. “Read 6:41 PM.”

He propped the phone up against the wall and resumed his homework. However, every time he lifted the pencil from his paper, he looked up from his problems to Caddy’s.

No chance he was getting it done until Caddy texted back.

He wanted so desperately to let it go. _Caddy’s been like this before,_ he told himself. _He’ll get over it._ But with every passing minute, the pit in his stomach sunk deeper and deeper.

“Ugh!” This week was going to be the death of Jeff Fabre.

 

 **_[6:45 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _are you okay???????????//?_

 **_[6:49 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _caddy_

 **_[6:53 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _i see your read receipts_

 **_[6:58 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _CADDY ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 **_[7:03 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _t a l k t o m e_

 **_[7:14 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _caddy please_

 **_Caddicarus_ ** _is typing…_

 

Jeff never felt so relieved to see that stupid dot-dot-dot bubble appear.

 

 **_[7:15 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Sorry, angry_

 **_[7:15 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _tbh i’m just glad you answered_

 **_[7:15 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _what did she do???????_

 **_[7:16 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _It’s stupid_

 **_[7:18 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _She tried to apologize about shit hitting the fan_

 **_[7:19 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _But it was so obvious that she wasn’t really sorry, she just did it because Paul told her off_

 **_[7:19 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _So I just ditched her and went here_

 **_[7:19 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _You want anything?_

 **_[7:19 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _get two egg rolls, i’ll pay you back_

 **_[7:20 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _I think I might actually hate her_

 **_[7:20 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _that’s rough, sorry man_

 **_[7:20 PM] spacehamsterggg:_ ** _you wanna talk about it when you get back?_

 **_[7:20 PM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Yeah. Thanks_

**_[7:21 PM] spacehamsterggg: :)_**

****

* * *

****

Two days before the flight.

Caddy donned his fighter costume for what might just be the last time. Maybe for a Halloween party, but he wouldn’t imagine wearing it for years after he leaves. Nonetheless, it would always have a special place in the back of his closet, a warm memory of late nights with dice and magic.

The classroom Jared elected to play in always looked different late at night than it did during the school day. The floors were devoid of stray pencils and papers due to the janitor’s efforts, and the moonlight shined through the windows, illuminating the room with a mysterious glow. When the group started, Jared never shut up about the ambiance of the light. Caddy couldn’t have given a damn about it when he started playing, and he’s still not quite sure what it means.

In fact, as he walked into the classroom for the last time, he barely even recognized the room. Sure, the desks were shoved together to make a table, but it was the only familiar thing about it. Candles lined other, untouched desks, and a stick of incense laid on the windowsill, a scent of dragon’s blood filling the room. The player’s chairs were replaced by bean bags and blankets, while the DM himself sat on a camping chair covered in pillows. A desk stood next to the camping chair, holding cookies, candy and chips.

Sure enough, Jared sat in his throne, smug as ever, as his players, Jeff and Ian, sat in their bean bags.

“What happened?” Caddy said, as he took in the setting.

Jared leaned forward in his seat. “We’re losing a valuable man tonight,” he explained, as the players’ faces grew grim. “For his final adventure, it’s only fair we treat him to the game of a lifetime, as well as a feast for the ages-” he gestured to the food beside him- “-and a merry time to be had by all.”

“You guys really did all this?” Caddy said slowly.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Behind Caddy, the door burst open, Luke standing in the threshold breathless. “Sorry I’m late, is he here- oh.”

“Luke?”

“Yeah, we did,” Ian said, and rolled his eyes as Luke took his seat. “Jared did most of the planning, and got the idea to do it. Jeff and I got the snacks, and we all set up the chairs.”

“I brought soda!” Luke proclaimed, and held up some wooden cups. “I even got some beer mugs, too!”

“You guys are the greatest.” A smile grew on Caddy’s face as he sat in a lime green bean bag. “Now, don’t we have a campaign to play?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Jared grinned, before falling into a serene storyteller’s voice. He always did that when he got into his DM mode. “For Balthios the Slammer’s last crusade with the gang, your journey leads you to the cave of Car’antha…”

The night led the players through a dungeon to defeat the accursed brass dragon keeping a mistress hostage, until it was revealed that the damsel was really a sorceress, and the dragon was a prince under her spell. In the midst of quelling the dragon, Caddy’s fighter, Balthios, was downed and killed by a mind-controlled dragon’s fire. He then spent the rest of the game laughing at his friend’s natural failures, dropping his jaw at their feats of strength, and providing some snide commentary in-between bites of potato chips as the party fought their way through the dungeons. The game ended with the sorceress killed by dawn, and the party earning the favor of the dragon prince’s kingdom.

“You really couldn’t have done a one shot without a dragon, could you?” Ian deadpanned, as the clock turned to 2 AM and the D&D group cleaned up their things.

Jared laughed. ”We had to go out with a bang, though!”

“You always do dragons, though!”

“Yeah, but they’re usually about slaying them! This time, you saved one!”

“If it’s worth anything,” Caddy interjected, his voice hoarse from laughing too loud, “I couldn’t think of a better way to die.”

 

* * *

****

One day before the flight.

****

**_[12:02 AM] Caddicarus:_ ** _Meet me at your tree_

 **_[12:02 AM] Caddicarus:_ ** _please_

 **_[12:05 AM] brutalmoose:_ ** _here._

****

It was the one text he debated was even worth it. Like any other high school student, he’s seen relationships come and go, and what one would peg as true love reveal itself to be a short fling ending in heartbreak.

Knowing he had one more day until he was sent back to England made it a time to be scared. Good Lord, was he scared.

Perhaps it would have been a safe choice to let it remain a secret. Let Ian live his life in ignorance, and slowly forget the boy who brought guns into the school.

Unfortunately, Caddy wasn’t a safe, secretive man. He made up his mind, inspired by his friends’ wisdom. Whether it was a good thing or not, he wasn’t sure.

He sat in the grass by the tree, staring up at the stars, scattered like glitter on the night sky.

Footsteps approached the tree, snapping Caddy out of his stupor. Sure enough, it was none other than Moosey himself.

He laid down on the grass next to him, his face only inches away from Caddy’s. “Nice sky out.”

“I’m gonna miss it,” Caddy said. “I've never seen stars this bright before I came to Japan. Always dull and smoggy in England.”

“You’re going to call us when you get back to England, right?”

“What? Of course!” Caddy stuck a fist in the air, then let it sink back to the ground. “I would never forgive myself if I didn’t.”

“And you have all of our Nype accounts, and you’re friends with us on Miscord, too?”

“Yes, Moosey, I do.”

“Sorry. It’s... hard to comprehend.” Ian ran a hand through his hair as he looked away. “You’re really leaving.”

Caddy made a face. “I have to, idiot.”

Ian grunted something softly, as the crickets chirped all around the two.

Caddy snuck a glance at Ian’s face. A light breeze kicked up, lightly rustling the grass around his body and his unstyled hair. In fact, now that he looked closer, Ian was disheveled, wearing his Hidden Block jacket over an oversized tee and pajama shorts, like he just rolled out of bed. _Of course,_ Caddy chided himself. _It’s midnight._

Suddenly, Ian pointed a finger to the sky. “See those two bright stars, right over there, with a dimmer one in the middle? That’s Taurus. And underneath him, is this little triangle thing. That’s Sextans.

“Now, in astrology, when Sextans is underneath Taurus, it signifies true love will pounce at you like a bull. It’ll sneak up on you and take you by surprise, but in the end, it’s going to be a wild ride, and one you’ll keep until the grave.”

Caddy was speechless. “Where’d you learn that?”

Ian stared at him, a ghost of a smile on his face. Then a snicker, then a laugh, and in the blink of an eye, he erupted into peals of laughter.

“Holy shit. I didn’t think you’d actually buy that,” he gasped in-between giggles. “I just pulled all of that out of my ass.”

“Oh my god, Moosey, you wanker!”

They laughed as Taurus (or Sextans, or something else entirely) stared down at them.

Caddy said, “Really though. Was any of that even remotely true?”

“I’m about as clueless as you are. I’m not into astrology.” Ian responded. “I don’t even know if Sextans is even a thing. Or what my zodiac is, either.”

“How’d I even fall for that shit?”

“Hell if I know.”

“You don’t know anything.”

“Neither do you, James.”

Caddy opened his mouth to retort- then promptly closed it as his mind went blank.

“Be honest, though.” Ian turned to face Caddy as the moon cast a mesmerizing light over him. In a moment, Caddy understood what Jared meant by the moonlight being a mysterious, beautiful thing. “You’re not going to forget me when you go back to England, are you?”

“Never will.”

“Good.”

“So don’t find anyone else.”

“I won’t.”

“Moosey?”

He looked into Caddy’s eyes. The wind picked up.

“You’re really going to miss me?”

“Of course.” His face softened. Then he turned his head back to the stars as he flushed. “You’re my friend. Even if we fight all the time. And honestly? This last year has been the best of my life. With the Hidden Block Club, and the first year at the tournament, and you…”

“It has to end, though.”

“Yeah. It does.”

Ian held his jacket closer to his body. Instinctively, Caddy wrapped an arm around him and pulled him closer.

He stared up at Caddy, even pinker than before, before burying his head into his chest and returning the embrace.

“Ian.”

As if on cue, Ian looked up and held his cheek gingerly.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you before all this.”

Caddy kissed him. He kissed back. For the first time in weeks, everything was right in the world.

****

* * *

****

Two hours before the flight.

Caddy’s first train to the city was noisy, filled with the chatter of teenagers skipping school. Any other day, he would have loved the opportunity to miss out on a lecture about literature, but what he wouldn’t give to leave the lush carmine seats for his old desk in Asagao’s classroom.

He soon realized that the only reason he got a seat to himself was that even the slackers, who spent their days blasting metal and punk music, who snuck alcohol into the school on a daily basis, who shoplifted more than they bought, were afraid of him. The hunters of the school, fearing for their own sake. Ironic, in a harrowing way.

He got off at the next stop along with the small crowd of slacking students, but continued through the train station instead of enter downtown Higanbana, his rail pass clutched between his white knuckles.

On the next train, Higanbana to Amaririsu, no one treated him like a criminal, the adults too busy planning meetings and checking their phones before they went to work. Next to him sat a middle-aged woman in a power suit who gave him a concerned look, but then ignored him once she got a call; her husband, Caddy assumed, from the sparkling diamond ring on her left hand and the cheesy pet names she cooed over the phone. He slipped his headphones over his ears and hit shuffle, trying his best to hide his cringe.

A beat he recognized as a Yungtown track played, and he pressed ‘skip’ before the rapping could even begin. He knew he would cry right then and there if he tried to listen to it.

He didn’t give his friends a real goodbye. He wouldn’t have been able to keep it together if he had, but as he got closer and closer to his destination, the more sore he was.

He really should have.

The adults he rode with grew less and less concerned as he got closer to the airport. They were too focused on their own flights to pay attention to anyone else.

Perhaps he should be, too.

****

* * *

****

One hour and fifty minutes until the flight.

The bell rang for lunch.

For the first time all week, five members of the Hidden Block Club sat at the cafeteria at their usual table. In response to the storm that followed the elections, they resorted to grabbing food from the cafeteria and retreating to their dorms or a classroom, eating in silence.

They attracted less attention that day. Students sized up the club, and when they realized the one they were searching for was missing, they retreated to their lunch and gossip.

No one in the club felt much like talking, contrary to the past, filled with impromptu food fights and stupid dares.

In fact, the closest thing to a conversation for a long time was Luke, muttering lyrics under his breath. Jeff could barely hear his, but when he could, he swore his new song was one bound to make a grown man tear up.

It felt too weird with five seats only. A disruption to the order of the world.

Next to him, Jimmy asked, “Did you see him this morning?”

Jeff shook his head. “He probably went out or something- OH.”

_Oh my god. How did I forget?!_

Jeff slammed down his plastic silverware in realization as the rest of the club looked at him, startled. Nonetheless, he dashed over to the Normal Boots table.

“Do any of you have a car?!” He urged.

The fourth-years at the table traded glances. “I do. Why do you ask?” Jirard responded.

“It’s important!”

Jirard considered it for a moment as Jeff waited impatiently. Ian approached him, concern on his face. “What are you doing?”

“Here.” Jirard dug through his pocket and pressed a keyring in Jeff’s hand. A standard house key, a Itty Bitty Kitty-chain, and a clunky car key. _Score!_ “It’s the silver Monda SUV in the front of the student parking lot. Can’t-” Jeff snatched the keys and ran back to his table, shouting commands. “-Miss it…”

Ian sighed, then did a small bow. “Thanks.”

“No problem?”

He stalked back to the Hidden Block table as his friends stood up, just as frantic as Jeff.

“Ian!” He exclaimed. “Follow us! We’re going to the airport!”

Before he could even respond, Wallid grabbed his wrist as they bolted out of the cafeteria.

 

* * *

 

One hour and forty minutes before the flight.

Sure enough, Jirard’s car- _Of course he has an SUV_ , Jeff thought as he turned on the car- was parked neatly at the front, sticking out like a sore thumb among cherry red convertibles and shiny Range Rovers.

Jeff peeled out of the parking lot, a staticky pop song blasting through the radio.

He commanded the club as he navigated through the empty street and away from the school. ”Jimmy, search up the flight from Wasurenagusa to Kington. That’s the one we need to beat. Ian, pull up a GPS to the airport. Wallid, if anyone asks, you made cookies but gave all of us food poisoning.”

Ian and Jimmy pulled up their phones, while Wallid sulked. “It was one time,” he mumbled to no one in particular.

“Luke, sing a song or something. I can’t think with this shitty radio on.”

A smile spread across his face. “Someone give me a beat!” Wallid started beatboxing. “Man, where do I begin, she shows up, she’s like, ‘Oh my goodness gracious, here we go again-’”

The SUV screeched as Jeff nailed a sharp, sudden turn, destroying Wallid’s beat and ending Luke’s impromptu rap with a yelp. “You can’t drive any nicer, can you?” Wallid exclaimed.

“I’ll drive ‘nicer’ when I’m dead!” The driver retorted.

“At this rate we’ll be dead before we even get to the airport!”

“And at this rate, he’ll leave before we get there, dead or not!” Jeff revved up the engine even further, much to the dismay of Wallid, and that was that.

Jimmy held his phone up in victory. “Flight from Wasurenagusa to Kington, boarding at three thirty! We’ve got an hour and a half!”

“Turn!” Ian shouted, and the car took a harsh right, shaking everyone in the car yet again.

“If I don’t get carsick by the end of this, it’ll be a miracle,” Jimmy huffed as Luke started singing “The Last Countdown.” Wallid punched him as Ian kept screeching directions to Jeff, the SUV thrashing down the winding roads and into the city.

****

* * *

****

Forty-five minutes before the flight.

The past week was a living nightmare, but the airport was surreal.

It was too smooth, too fast, too simple to be that last stop before he lost everything he held dear. He imagined today’s flight to be chaotic and hysterical, but if anything, it felt like it encouraged the worst thing in his life to continue.

He sat outside his terminal, notebook in hand. It had been two years since he cracked open the ratty old thing, with its cover half-torn off the spiral, and thin from having its pages ripped out. A once well-loved friend on paper, which Caddy carried around with him all during middle school. Its pages were full of rants, half-assed drawings, and everything under the sun. He used to jot in it whenever he had something to say to no one. Naturally, he brought it with him to Asagao, but for once, he had understanding friends who wouldn’t judge him no matter what.

Perhaps he’d use it more often junior year.

Pencil scratched on paper as he drew. He wasn’t a good artist by any means, but he really did love to doodle. He scribbled over scribbles lazily, slowly turning the paper more gray than white.

It felt almost taboo to say he was bored at the last pit stop in his life.

****

* * *

****

Thirty minutes before the flight.

The second the club was checked by security upon entering, they sprinted into a mad dash, Jimmy leading the pack, weaving through vacationing families and stone-faced businessmen.

“Terminal 13’s this way! Move your asses!” He shouted, and like an army of pubescent warriors, Hidden Block shouted back a war cry.

Jeff counted down the terminal numbers as he jogged. _22... 21… 14..._ 13 _!_

He recognized his backpack right away, a classic black bag with tons of pockets and small pins along the front. He ran faster and faster, and slid around to the counter where his friend sat before tackling him into a hug.

He screeched in surprise, and nearly fell over from the sudden force. Then he felt warm tears on his shoulder, and flashes of yellow jackets, and the sniveling young man sobbing as he hugged him.

Of course. Jeff was always an ugly crier.

One by one, more and more of his old friends- his best friends- piled onto the hug. Had they squeezed any tighter, Caddy might have died from lack of oxygen.

“We were so worried!” Jeff bawled. “You left without a trace, and I took Jirard’s car, and yelled a lot, and- and- and, _I’m gonna miss you so much_!”

“Don’t you guys have class?” He asked, his voice breaking. “Oh, dammit, I thought I would be able to keep it together…”

“Fuck class!” Ian declared. “You’re leaving, James, and you didn’t even say goodbye. I’m not missing this for the life of me.”

Luke choked out, “You’re our friend, Caddy. Oh, god, Caddy.”

He held Caddy even tighter like a stuffed animal, and cried into his other shoulder, right over the patch on his Hidden Block jacket.

“We’re really gonna miss you,” Wallid sniffed. “Like, a lot. I-I don’t know.”

Caddy felt a tear roll down. _So this is how I die,_ he thought, a stupid frown-smile on his face. _Having my heart mended and broken at the same time._

Jimmy’s words were quiet hiccups, barely heard over Jeff’s loud sobs, but one phrase was clear; “I don’t know how we’ll carry on without you.”

Caddy was crying now, as if he needed more evidence that his friends were the best on the planet. “I’m so sorry I’m leaving,” he apologized, voice small. “I don’t want to go. All of you guys are the greatest.” He managed a short, dry laugh. “I mean, who else would- would run through an airport just to say bye to their friend?”

“I did! I drove Jirard’s car! I almost crashed it twice to get it here in time!”

“You did WHAT?!”

Ian conceded. “We nearly got pulled over, too! And that’s why you should tell us before you go off without us, you stupid, fucking, James!” He finally started to choke up, reducing the club into a group hug of sobs. “That was so dumb! And we were so paranoid, and, _ugh_! You’re such an idiot!”

“Put a sock in it, Moosey, you guys just, just…” He trailed off into hiccups, and pulled the club even tighter. “I’m gonna miss you all so much! So, so much!”  
“We knooooow!” Wallid wailed.

Overhead, the PA system cackled to life, forcing the teenagers or of their hug. _“Terminal 13: flight to Kingston, all passengers start boarding the plane, please.”_

Jimmy swiped at his eyes with his sleeve. “This is it, isn’t it?”

Caddy clutched him close again. “It is.”

He gave each of his friends a hug. He desperately needed it.

“It’s gonna be rough without you.”

“See you. I’ll miss you.”

“Good luck, man.”

“W-we can only move forward! So don’t-“ Jeff hiccuped. “Don’t be all sad and-and-and mopey about it!”

“I won’t,” Caddy said. He turned to Ian, a pained look on his face.

He didn’t say a thing as they embraced. Warm and comforting, Ian’s hugs were always the best in the club. He wished the world could stop.

“Don’t you dare forget us,” he whispered into Caddy’s ear, voice hoarse. “And I won’t forget you.”

Caddy could only hold him closer for a split second. The hug and their hearts fell apart.

Caddy smiled a broken smile. “Thanks, you guys, for everything.” In a fluid motion, he threw his backpack on and enterd the boarding line, head held high with red eyes. The club watched him go gentle into that good night.

 ****  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I spent all May so far writing this bad boy.  
> All of Luke's songs mentioned are songs he's written in real life. I dubbed the Epic COD Rap as "the Epic Rap" and the Star Fox Rap as "Hey Dad" here because I couldn't think of other, no-copyright titles, and because colleges prolly wouldn't take video game raps seriously as an in-universe example. The freestyle he does in Jirard’s SUV is from the Asagao Academy rap in his Who’s Rhyme is it Anyway performance at Too Many Games. There’s footage of the whole thing on Youtube, if you’re interested.  
> There's a fair amount of references in here! If you think something's a little familiar, that might be why.


End file.
